Last Week in Denmark (24.07 - 31.07) Episode 25 Year 2
We need more teachers and nurses; Learn to drive at home
Editor HQ
š Are you levelheaded? Quick? Interested in Politics? A Helpful Soul? If you can answer yes to those questions, join the Political Festival of Europe's Speakers Service team!
Your tasks during the Festival:
š¹ Receive and welcome speakers
š¹ Hand out information sheetsĀ
š¹ Guide speakers toward our stagesĀ
š¹ Guide and answer questions from speakers in between debates
š¹ Help journalists with ad hoc questions
As a thank you we offer you vouchers for food and beverages, an exciting opportunity at a truly unique event and an invitation to the volunteer party. If desired, it is also possible to receive a letter of recommendation.
It is not a requirement to speak Danish, but knowledge of other languages will be considered an asset, given that we have several non-Danish-speaking participants. Working knowledge of English is needed.
Apply by sending an email to the Festival's Civil Society Coordinator, Bolette SĆørensen at bhss@pfoe.org
Danish Politics HQ
The political game
Nurses, teachers, pedagogues, and social workers: the people that take care of us, when we are young, when we are sick and when we are old. Basically, the helping hand in our time of need. Already today, we need more of them. In 2030, there will be 35,000 unoccupied positions. Why? Fewer young people want to follow this path (14% less than in 2019).Ā
The situation is worse outside of the four big cities (Copenhagen, Aarhus, Aalborg, Odense) as there are 23% fewer young people that applied for such an education.Ā
This shows that the idea of the government to open more welfare-educations outside of the big cities should be reconsidered.Ā
The government will have a public debate with the trade unions of the four professions to see how to reverse the trend before it will impact our daily lives.Ā
50 to 54% reduction of CO2 emissions in Denmark until 2025: A very ambitious goal decided last year. A goal most likely not to be achieved according to the chairman of the Climate Council. He advises the government to come up with more radical measures.Ā
3 years ago, the Danish Parliament decided to reduce CO2 emissions in Denmark by 70% by 2030.Ā
Law proposals
Practice driving with your family and friends: A draft law (soon to be proposed) will allow people who want to learn driving to practice with a more experienced driver in the car. The government sees this as supplement driving lessons. The āmore experienced driverā needs to be at least 25 years old and to have a driving license for at least 3 years.Ā
Driving instructors are skeptical of the draft law. They say it can lead to more accidents.Ā
Remove the border control: SF (Socialists), Radikale Venstre (Social Liberals) and Enhedslisten (Red-Green Alliance) are asking the government to remove the border control between Denmark and Germany.Ā
The temporary border control has existed since 2016 and it creates traffic congestion during the summer months.Ā
DF (Nationalists) wants permanent border control. Venstre (Liberals) considers that itās still necessary to prevent illegal immigration and terrorism.Ā
Danish Economy HQ
Gas price goes up again: Russia decided to reduce the supply of gas to Europe by 20%. The European Union member states have decided to voluntarily reduce gas usage by 15%. As there is less gas on the market, the price has gone up. It will be 50% more expensive to use gas this winter compared to last winter.Ā
If you still use gas to warm up your house, you should really consider finding an alternative as the winter ahead will be tough. Invest in a heat pump or switch to district heating before itās too late.Ā
Daily Life in Denmark HQ
An espresso in Copenhagen is the most expensive in Europe: According to the espresso index made by a travel magazine (travelbook.de) an espresso in Copenhagen costs 4 euro, making it the most expensive in Europe. Bern (Switzerland) and Helsinki (Finland) are in 2nd and 3rd place with prices between 3 and 4 euros.Ā
How popular is your name in Denmark: Find out by checking out this tool where you can insert your name and find out, how many are named like you, if any have been named like that lately and what ranking your name has.Ā
Climate with Amina McCauley
KlimarĆ„det, the Danish Climate Council, says the country has a long way to go if itās going to meet its climate target of a 54% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2025. āWe have not seen concrete policy that allows us to believe that we will achieve it,ā KlimarĆ„det Chair Peter MĆøllgaard said.Ā
The World Wildlife Fund on Wednesday announced that the planet has already used more resources this year than what is sustainable, and Denmark is a high contributor. Itās known as Earth Overshoot Day, and Denmark has this year landed as the 15th most resource-intensive country. If the whole world consumed natural resources as we do in Denmark, Earth Overshoot Day would already fall in March, according to the WWF. Having said that, Denmark has moved significantly down the list, having stood at number 9 in 2019.Ā
Sport with Jelimir Vlastici
Last week in Paris the Danish cyclist Jonas Vingegaard won his first Tour de France title. As soon as he crossed the finish line, it became official that he beat the two-time defending champion Tadej Pogacar from Slovenia, by three minutes and 34 seconds. Jonasās victory didn't come out of the blue, as last year the Dane finished second to Pogacar. The podium was completed by Geraint Thomas, a Welsh cyclist, winner of the 2018 Tour.Ā
On Wednesday, Vingegaard was celebrated by thousands of euphoric people in Copenhagen, where the famous cycling race began nearly a month ago. The celebration didn't stop there, as on Thursday, his hometown of Glyngore in northern Denmark, offered him a welcome ceremony worthy of a champion.Ā
European Union HQ
Flying in Europe: This summer, we have seen how flying in Europe has turned from convenience into nightmare. Mountains of lost luggage have started to gather at the airports, due to various reasons. One of them is the strikes. 20.000 employees at Lufthansa went on strike because they want a 9,5% salary increase to keep up with the inflation. 1000 flights had to be canceled. More strikes are expected at other airlines as well.Ā
If your flight is canceled you can ask for reimbursement or compensation from the airline. If you are refused by them, you can ask for help from Flypassager.dk. If you are abroad, you can ask for help from Forbruger Europa.Ā
Our communityĀ
Project
Are you creative, proactive, free between 25 and 28 August, and have a flair for social media? Come and volunteer at the Political Festival of Europe!
The Festival is currently on the outlook for volunteers to join the Social Media Team. Tasks will include:
š¹ taking photos and videos
š¹ collecting quotes from speakers
š¹ collecting testimonials from visitors
š Your commitment? At least a 1 shift of 4ļø hours!
š What do you need? A smartphone (cameras are a plus, but not a must)
š What do you get out of it? A t-shirt, key-hanger, food and drinks during your shift and an invitation to the volunteer party š
Sign up here - and write "I want to join the Social Media Team" in the comments section